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Williams Grand Prix Engineering
Williams |image = |Full Name = Williams Grand Prix Engineering |Base = Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |Founder(s) = Sir Frank Williams Sir Patrick Hhead |Noted Staff = Adrian Newey Frank Dernie Gavin Fisher Dickie Stanford Sam Michael |Noted Drivers = Alan Jones Keke Rosberg Nelson Piquet Nigel Mansell Alain Prost Damon Hill Jacques Villeneuve |years = - |debut = 1977 Spanish Grand Prix |Races Competed = 611 |Constructors' Championships = 9 ( , , , , , , , , ) |Drivers' Championships = 7 , , , , , , ) |wins = 114 |Poles = 127 |Fastest Laps = 131 |Final race = 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix}} Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, is a Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after Frank Williams' two earlier teams Frank Williams Racing Cars (1969 to 1975) and Walter Wolf Racing (1976). All of Williams chassis are called "FW" then a number, the FW being the initials of team owner, Frank Williams. History Origins Frank Williams started the current Williams team in 1977 after his previous outfit, Frank Williams Racing Cars, failed to achieve the success he desired. Despite the promise of a new owner in the form of Canadian millionaire Walter Wolf, the team's 1976 cars were not competitive. Eventually Williams left the rechristened Walter Wolf Racing and moved to Didcot to rebuild his team as "Williams Grand Prix Engineering". Frank recruited young engineer Patrick Head to work for the team, creating the "Williams-Head" partnership. Formula One 1970's 1980's 1990 Williams kept drivers Riccardo Patrese and Thierry Boutsen for the season along with the FW13 car now upgraded to the FW13B. Although Patrese won the San Marino Grand Prix and Boutsen the Hungarian Grand Prix, the team scored 30 fewer points than the previous year and finished the Constructors' Championship two positions lower, in fourth. In the Drivers' Championship, Boutsen finished sixth with 34 points and Patrese seventh with 23 points. 1991 Nigel-mansell-gives-ayrton-senna-a-ride.jpg|Mansell gives Ayrton Senna a lift at the 1991 British GP 1992 Mansell 92 Mexico.jpg|Mansell at the 1992 Mexican GP Gprix1992 gallery 600x392.jpg|Mansell at the 1992 Brazilian GP 1993 Both Mansell and Patrese left Williams at the end of 1992. Alain Prost was signed after a year away from the sport and test driver Damon Hill was promoted to replace them both for 1993. The new FW15C car would prove to be dominant with active suspension and traction control systems beyond anything available to the other teams. 1993 would prove to be the final year with Canon and Camel as the main sponsors for the team. Prost won on his debut for the team in South Africa. The next Grand Prix in Brazil saw Prost collide with Christian Fittipaldi's Minardi in the rain on lap 29, while Hill went on to his first podium finish in second place. Prost won three of the next four Grands Prix for Williams, Aytron Senna winning the other race. Prost and Hill later scored a 1–2 in France, the only 1–2 of the season for Williams. Prost won the next two Grand Prix at Silverstone and Hockenheim. Hill proved competitive, especially in the second half of the season. Mechanical problems cost the Englishman leads in Britain and Germany, but he went on to win the next three Grands Prix at Hungary, Belgium and Italy which moved him to second in the standings, as well as giving him a chance of taking the drivers' title. After Italy, Williams would not win a Grand Prix for the rest of the season, however Prost clinched the Driver's Championship in Portugal and they retained their constructor's title, 84 points ahead of second placed, McLaren. Prost-Hill 1993-Spain.jpg|Prost leads Hill at the 1993 Spanish GP Hill 1993 Hungary.jpg|Hill wins the 1993 Hungarian GP Prost 1993 Australia.jpg|Prost at the 1993 Australian GP 1994 Ayrton-senna-1994-brazil.jpg|Senna at the 1994 Brazilian GP Ayrton-senna-crash-in-imola.jpg|Senna's fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino GP Hill 1994 Britain.jpg|Hill won his home round the 1994 British GP Damon-hill-and-michael-schumacher-adelaide-1994-by-jo-salmon.jpg|Hill and Schumacher collide at the 1994 Australian GP 1995 In Coulthard moved into a permanent race seat alongside Hill. The Benetton team switched to Renault power for this year and would prove to be very competitive. Hill secured the first wins of the year for Williams in Argentina and San Marino. He would go onto win two more races later in the year at the Hungaroring and in Adelaide, the latter where Hill finished two laps ahead of the field in one of Formula One's most dominating victories. Coulthard secured his debut victory at Estoril, however this would prove to be his only victory for the team, leaving for Mclaren in 1996. Although Williams were superior in qualifying trim, taking a total of 12 pole positions, Schumacher was usually more competitive on race day, and won nine races against Williams' combined total of five. Due to this Williams' run of Constructors' Championships was ended by Benetton, who outscored Williams by 29 points. Damon Hill placed second in the Drivers' Championship, 33 points behind Benetton's Michael Schumacher. David_coulthard_portugal_1995_by_f1_history-d6fdyu1.jpg|Coulthard at the 1995 Portuguese GP Hill 1995 Australia.jpg|Damon Hill celebrates winning the 1995 Australian GP 1996 In Williams entered the season with the quickest and most reliable car, the FW18. Damon Hill stayed with the team while Canadian 1995 CART champion Jacques Villeneuve was brought in to replace Coulthard. Williams won the first five Grands Prix, Hill winning all but one of them, the other going to Villenueve. They both dominated the Canadian Grand Prix, with a 1–2 in qualifying and a 1–2 in the race. Williams made it a second 1–2 at the French Grand Prix. Villeneuve won his second race at Silverstone after Hill retired with a wheel bearing failure on lap 26. Hill would be victorious in the next Grand Prix in Germany while Villeneuve would win the race after that in Hungary. Villeneuve won the penultimate Grand Prix and mounted a title challenge going into the final race of the season at Japan, but Hill won the race and the 1996 title, while Villeneuve lost a wheel and retired. Williams' dominance was such that they had clinched the Constructors' Championship and only their drivers had a mathematical chance of taking the title, several races before the season concluded. There were two major departures at the end of the year, Hill left as his contract expired and joined the Arrows team while chief designer Adrian Newey departed for rivals McLaren. Jacques villeneuve portugal 1996 by f1 history-d9inrin.jpg|Villeneuve at the 1996 Portuguese GP Damon hill michael schumacher japan 1996 by f1 history-d94w954.jpg|Hill celebrates his win and the 1996 Driver's Championship at the 1996 Japanese GP 1997 1998 1999 2000's 2010's Logo history ROTHMANS.jpg|1994-1997 BMW Williams F1 Team logo.png|2000-2005 Williams F1 Team 2006 logo.png|2006 Logo AT&T Williams 2011.png|2007-2011 Williams logo.gif|2012-2013 Complete Formula One Results : Main article: Williams F1 Grand Prix results References #https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_Grand_Prix_Engineering #http://www.statsf1.com/en/williams.aspx Category:Teams Category:Formula One Constructors Category:Constructors Champions Category:British Teams Category:Formula One Entrants